Veterans have been paying their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who is lying in state. She was the head of the armed forces, but her association with the military began earlier.
Princess Elizabeth was 13 years old when World War Two started. After six years of conflict, she would become the heir to the throne.
She was the last surviving head of state to have served in the war, and it was a defining period in the life of the future Queen.
The Royal Family – parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and sister Princess Margaret – were seen as a potent symbol of the values for which Britain and its allies were fighting in 1939. Elizabeth made her first broadcast in October 1940, when Britain was in the midst of the worst of the war. It was supposed to be a message to children who were sent to North America to escape the bombing of British cities.
She said that the children at home are full of cheerfulness and courage. We are trying to help our sailors, soldiers, and airmen. To bear our own share of the sadness and danger of war is what we are trying to do.
Prof Kate Williams, author of the biography Young Elizabeth, says that the princess and her sister were some of the strongest propaganda weapons the government had. She says it was the queen’s first bombshell.
The fact that Elizabeth and Margaret remained in the country after they died was a significant boost to the spirits.
The King and Queen would not allow the Royal Family to seek safety outside of Canada.
Queen Elizabeth said the children will not leave unless she does. I will not leave unless their father does, and the king will not leave the country.
Windsor Castle is 30 miles from London and is the furthest the children have been moved. They went for a weekend and stayed five years.
They saw the fire-lit skies over London during the bombing. The castle was close to being hit by a bomb as they sat in the air-raid shelter. Princess Margaret recalled that they all went pink when they heard about it.
The sisters were with their parents most evenings and weekends.
The girls performed pantomimes at Christmas in order to cheer up their father, who was depressed due to the losses being inflicted on his countrymen and women. Cinderella and Aladdin had princesses in the starring roles.
In 1944, with the King upset at the loss of the Battle of Arnhem, Elizabeth and Margaret wrote their own pantomime with the help of their mom. Three Guardsmen on duty at the castle were called in as extras. One of them, Bill Davies, had scarlet tunics and bearskins and was measured up.
The performance went off well and the family were happy. It was a fairy tale. For an hour or two, we forgot the war.
The drama of these years gave rise to the sense of duty that marked her reign.
Princess Elizabeth’s first public engagement was in 1942, when she inspected a parade of the grenadier Guards. She joined the auxiliary territorial service in the final year of the war.
She spent three weeks with a carefully chosen group of other recruits, learning about basic motor mechanics and how to drive a vehicle. It was the first time that a female member of the Royal Family had ever attended a course with other people.
Gwen Evans remembers Princess Elizabeth getting the same treatment as everyone else, even though she trained alongside the future Queen in the ATS.
She says that when they finished work at five o’clock, they went back to their barracks, whereas Elizabeth was taken to Windsor Castle.
In May 1945, tens of thousands of people gathered outside Buckingham Palace to celebrate victory.
After the Royal Family joined the crowd on the balcony, the two princesses slipped out to join the crowd.
I remember lines of people walking down a street. The Queen recalled that all of them were swept along in a tide of happiness and relief. We shouted “We want the king” after crossing Green Park. It was one of the most amazing nights of my life.
All photographs are owned by the owner.
- UK Royal Family
- Queen Elizabeth II
- World War Two